Minister of Foreign Affairs Prince Saud Al-Faisal today called for an end the Arab-Israeli conflict so that the people of the region can focus on peace and development instead of war.

Prince Saud made the remarks in an address at the Middle East peace conference in Annapolis, Maryland today.

In his address, Prince Saud said that Saudi Arabia came to Annapolis to support serious talks on final-status issues.

“Saudi Arabia is committed to promoting peace in the Middle East,” Prince Saud said. “Over the years our leaders have proposed serious initiatives to end the conflict. Lives must be spared, and hope must replace despair. Our region must be kept from sliding into turmoil and chaos. The Middle East has the capacity of becoming a haven in which all the children of Abraham can live normal and prosperous lives, free of fear and insecurity.”

He noted that the Annapolis conference must be followed up with the launch of Syrian and Lebanese tracks as soon as possible. In addition, an international follow-up mechanism should be established to monitor progress of the negotiations, with the goal of reaching a final settlement within a set timeframe.

Prince Saud also called on Israel to take steps including freezing and dismantling settlements, prisoner releases, ending construction on the wall and lifting the siege it has imposed on the Palestinian people if final status negotiations are to succeed.